The San Geronimo Valley may be small, but we are lucky to live in a space so rich with history. The Valley has always been a magical place filled with happy memories and amazing places. It can be very fun to learn about the history of the place you live. This article is an overview of the history of the San Geronimo Valley, and how our current schools have come to be.
Up until the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the San Geronimo Valley was inhabited by the Coast Miwok people. The Valley was ideal, as it contained open meadows, flowing creeks, abundant wildlife, and both oak and redwood forests. These aspects also made the Valley appealing to Spanish and American newcomers. It seems to have been used for ranching to supply the mission in San Rafael beginning in the late 1810s, then became known as “Rancho San Geronimo” when California was still a part of Mexico. For roughly the next 40 years, the land was passed through various owners.
In 1854 Adolph Maillard bought a large portion of the Valley, but he and his family didn’t move onto the property until 1873. Adolph Maillard was the son of Louis Maillaird, Joseph (brother of Napoleon) Bonparte’s personal secretary. Since the Maillards were closely connected royalty, they were a wealthy family. While Adolph was one of the more better known owners of the valley, the Dickson and Roy families had been around for several decades before him. The Maillards opened a creamery on their piece of property, and gave it their family name. The creamery produced a special “M Butter” that was only sold to gourmet restaurants and bakeries in San Francisco. The creamery drew more attention to the Valley, and meanwhile the population was steadily increasing.
With more people now living in San Geronimo, an elementary school was built so that children would not have to get transportation to Nicasio – where they were previously going to school. The school was a one room white building, with about 15 students. The school was the main source of education in San Geronimo from 1875 – 1902. By the early 1900s, the Maillards had built up debt, and the family decided to sell off chunks of their land for more money. After selling different pieces of Rancho San Geronimo, the Valley began to have residential subdivisions. The Maillards sold the rest of their land to the Lagunitas Development Company in 1912.
The Lagunitas Development Company had a vision for the San Geronimo Valley. The company decided to break up the large chunks of land they bought into smaller plots. Vacation houses popped up around the valley, and San Geronimo was used as a vacation spot for families to visit during the summer.
Over the years the summer cabins were turned into homes, and people were moving to the valley permanently. By 1928 the Valley had enough residents to upgrade their one room schoolhouse to a bigger building, which is now the Community Center. 1961 brought a new plan referred to as the 61’ Master Plan. The master plan proposed 5,000 new homes, a fire station, shopping center, heliport, golf course, and a freeway that would run over Whites Hill and into the Valley. The new attractions would reside in the Valley and surrounding area, all the way down to Kent Lake. However, the golf course and a couple dozen new homes were the only buildings that were ever built.
San Geronimo Valley Elementary, better known as the Open Classroom, was formed in 1971 by a group of parents seeking alternative education options for their kids. Among the founders were beloved community members, the late Sandy Dorward and Judy Voets. During its start, Open had around 100 kids, Kindergarten through 8th grade. This didn’t last for very long, and after a couple years the 7th and 8th grade broke off to form the Lagunitas Middle School. The Montessori program wasn’t formed for another ten years.
This article can only encompass a fraction of the deep past that lies in the Valley. However, we are lucky to have some very talented people who love sharing our history. If you want to learn more you can visit the San Geronimo Historical Society Museum at the San Geronimo Community Center or check out the SGV Historical Society website.
Bibliography
“San Geronimo Valley Community Center.” San Geronimo Valley Community Guide, SGVCC, 2017, www.sgvcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CommunityGuide2017_Online_01.pdf. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.
“Lagunitas School District.” District History Page, 22 Jan. 2023, www.lagunitas.org/page/district-history-page .
“- Brief History of the San Geronimo Valley.” San Geronimo Valley Historical Society, www.sgvhistoricalsociety.org/brief-history-of-the-san-geronimo-valley .
“Lagunitas School District.” District History Page, 22 Jan. 2023, www.lagunitas.org/page/district-history-page .
